The poster of Dirty Politics

Cuttack, July 18: Bollywood biggie K.C. Bokadia’s upcoming film Dirty Politics that stars Mallika Sherawat has courted legal controversy even before it could hit the screen.

A PIL filed in Orissa High Court has sought a ban on the first poster of the film that shows protagonist Mallika wrapped in Tricolour and sitting atop a car fitted with a beacon. The actress flaunts her toned legs with a CD in her hand, while the Rajasthan State Legislative forms the backdrop.

In response to the PIL filed by city-based lawyer Shivsankar Mohanty, the court has issued a notice to the Centre.

Mohanty has alleged that Mallika has been “indecently represented by the filmmaker” in the first poster “for commercial purpose”. Besides, the state emblem has been “used for wrongful gain and cheap publicity”, the PIL has contended, seeking “a ban on further dissemination of the poster”.

Acting Chief Justice Pradip Mohanty and Justice Biswajit Mohanty, before which the petition came up yesterday, issued orders for notice to the secretary of the Union ministry of home affairs. The court, however, did not specify any time limit for filing of reply by the respondent.

The PIL contends that the poster violates the provisions of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, Flag Code of India, 2002, State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005 and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

The first poster of Dirty Politics had given rise to a huge outcry from all over the country when it was released in May. While pressure had mounted to change the poster, Bokadia did not yield. It has nothing to do with the Tricolour, nor is it a political party’s symbol. Also there is no Asoka Chakra, Therefore, essentially, it is just a piece of cloth in three colours, Bokadia had clarified in media reports.

The film is reportedly based on Jodhpur’s Bhanwari Devi’s sex scandal involving a midwife, who went missing in 2011 and the remnants of whose corpse was found in early 2012.

Mallika is playing the role of Bhanwari Devi in the film, which also stars Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Govind Namdev, Ashutosh Rana and Rajpal Yadav.

This, however, is not the first instance when Mallika has been seen sporting a flag in a raunchy pose. The poster of Politics of Love that came out in 2011 also showed the actress draped in an American flag while lying on a bed with Brian White. The poster had also sparked a controversy.